Monday, December 20, 2010

Christmas Memories

Some of my sweetest memories are those that include my children. 1. My yearly quest when my children were little was searching out a Santa for that photo with my babies. 2. Theresa's Grandpa was bound and determined that she should be the next Annie Oakley. This meant that Grandpa kept her dressed in cowgirl gear for the first few years of her life. 3. The first year that we stayed home for Christmas and put up a tree, money was a bit tight. To get by with less we placed our tree in a corner and only decorated what wasn't against the wall. Theresa took care of the decorations on the lower branches. 4. I will never forget the year that Chris made a bird feeder for me in Cub Scouts. He was bursting with pride when he gave it to me.

Chris' first Christmas he wasn't much bigger than his stocking. He was a sick little guy that winter. In fact, I don't recall many years that Theresa and Chris weren't both sick at Christmas time. Hey, I just noticed, I really was young once.

Christmas programs and concerts have always been part of our celebrations. Theresa's instrument was the flute and I so enjoyed hearing her play.

This was the year that we moved to California. Knowing that the move was coming, I had Christmas bought, wrapped, packed up with the furniture and sent ahead with the movers. Sounded good at the time, but there was just one little catch. Once we got there we couldn't find an apartment right away to rent that would accept children. We did manage to find one apartment complex that rented to us for one month just out of the kindness of their hearts and the fact that it was so close to Christmas.

For that one month our furniture went to storage along with the Christmas presents. Our furniture for that time was lawn furniture and sleeping bags. I believe our tree was the original Charlie Brown version sitting perched on a cardboard box with very few decorations. Santa didn't bring much that year, but what he did bring put smiles on my children's faces. That was the year that we had Christmas twice. What child wouldn't smile at that?

What a joy it was today going through old pictures. I not only found photos that had captured moments of happiness for my children, but I found priceless memories tucked away in that trunk too that warmed my heart and brought me happiness.

I hope that you will take the time during this Christmas Season to rediscover your own priceless happy memories.